Bullying Ducklings?????

[Ekaufee17]

Hey guys. I have another problem that hopefully you can help me out with... About two weeks ago my girlfriend and i bought twp Swedish Blue ducklings, and then maybe three or four days later, we picked up two more Mallards. The four of them got together great, and have been super pleasant and totally cute. Today though, we picked up another two Khaki Campbell ducklings (probably 2 or 3 days old), and tried to add them to the mallards/blues. The four older ducklings instantly started swooping in on them, pecking at the khaki's eyes, grabbing their wings/necks, holding them down, etc... They will literally not leave them alone. quite honestly with how rough they are being to these newborns, I'm afraid that they wont last that long. Is this normal? Can i get them to stop? Is it a matter of just watching the six of them closely enough until they start to get to know each other? Or are the khakis just too young to keep with the others? I honestly had no idea that just two weeks would make this massive of a difference. My ducks are killers! help!

 

[jdywntr]

You can't add ducklings together like that unless they are similar sized. You need to remove the day olds and give them a seperate brooder.

 

[Ekaufee17]

How long until the six of them can actually be okay together? Will they be like this until they are all the same size as juveniles?

 

[Miss Lydia]

How long until the six of them can actually be okay together? Will they be like this until they are all the same size as juveniles?

Give your youngest some time to get their legs under them, in the mean time put them close to gether so they can all hear each other and if they can see each other that would be even better. Then when you have time get them all out together on mutual ground. [kitchen floor or old rug, just some where that they can spend time getting to know each other but you are there to intervene if it gets too rough. I'd get some dried meal worms and when you put them together drop some around on the floor so they are after the treat instead of each other. you'll need to have some chick grit available for them so they can chew these worms up. then try them in the tub together, but only after they have been together on the floor and are getting use to one another. [don't want any drowned ducklings]

 

[Ekaufee17]

I put a plexiglass wall in between the two groups and it seems to be working out well. My mallards are both pretty docile, but my swedish blues literally exhaust themselves pecking at the glass trying to get to the younger khakis.